IDMA January notes by Ronny VanderLinden

31.01.2018: World Diamond Congress slated to be held in June 2018
The World Federation of Diamond Bourses (WFDB) has announced that

World Diamond Congress slated to be held in June 2018

The World Federation of Diamond Bourses (WFDB) has announced that dates have been set for the 2018 World Diamond Congress, the biannual meeting of the WFDB and the International Diamond Manufacturers Association (IDMA). The Congress will take place at the Hilton Hotel in Tel Aviv, from June 19 to 21.

The Congress will start on June 19, with a cocktail event to take place in the evening. The second day of the Congress will see the official opening of the event, with a senior Israeli figure due to attend.

The Gala Dinner of the Congress will take place on the evening of June 20. The Congress will come to a close on Thursday, 21 June.

Organised by the Israeli diamond industry organisations - the Israel Diamond Exchange, the Israel Diamond Institute and the Israel Diamond Manufacturers Association - there will also be a partner's programme featuring visits to interesting spots across the country.

De Beers is digging up more diamonds than any time since 2008

De Beers mined more diamonds last year than any time since the global financial crisis of 2008. The company, a unit of Anglo American Plc, mined 33.5 million carats in 2017.

That's a 22 percent jump from a year earlier, beating its own target. Production was boosted by its new Gahcho Kue mine in Canada and better market conditions.

Russian miner Alrosa (MCX:ALRS), the world's top diamond producer by output, said Tuesday it had signed 67 long-term contracts for the sale of gem quality and industrial rough diamonds. Twelve of those agreements, said the miner, are with Russian companies and include three new clients - Aives, Diapur and Kristalldiam.

The company is also considering another 11 companies as potential candidates for signing long-term agreements with. Of them, nine are potential long-term buyers of gem quality rocks and two - buyers of industrial stones. Long-term contracts form the basis of the Russian miner's sales policy, accounting for up to 70% of sales of diamonds dug by the company. The contracts guarantee volumes and assortment of monthly supplies, as well as the possibility to purchase additional batches of rough diamonds.

Alrosa aims to sell 40m carats of diamonds in 2018

ALROSA could sell around 40-million carats of diamonds in 2018 provided market conditions are favourable, the Russian State-controlled diamond miner said on Thursday.

The world's largest producer of rough diamonds has said it expects production to fall in 2018 due to an accident at its Mir mine last year although reserves would allow it to keep sales steady. It expects 2018 production to fall to 36.6-million carats from 39.3-million in 2017. The company has not yet reported its 2017 sales but they were expected to come at more than 40-million carats.more here

Sergey Ivanov meets with the President of Angola in Davos

Sergey Ivanov, Chief Executive Officer - Chairman of the Executive Committee of ALROSA, held a working meeting with the President of the Republic of Angola, João Lourenço, during the World Economic Forum in Davos.

At the meeting, Sergey Ivanov and João Lourenço have discussed the issues related to the closing of the transaction to increase the participation of ALROSA in Catoca Ltd. Mining Co. to 41%, and the participation of ALROSA in the development of large Luele diamond deposit through the international enterprise Luaxe.

Sergey Ivanov thanked the Angolan President for the openness and the measures being taken by the country's authorities to create favorable conditions for mining companies.

"Recently, we have seen positive changes related to increasing of transparency and improving the investment climate in Angola. I am sure that the efforts being taken by Republic's authorities to attract investments to the economy, will soon bear fruit and will contribute to the launch of new large projects", Mr. Ivanov said after the meeting.more here

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